· Russia launched a “massive missile” attack overnight on the central Ukrainian, killing and wounding people and damaging civilian infrastructure.
· Ukraine’s top military command said that air forces destroyed 10 out of 14 cruise missiles and one of the four Iranian-made drones that Russia launched.
· The attack comes a day after Ukraine began its much-awaited counter-offensive against the Russian forces and claimed to have achieved success.
· Kyiv claimed that it had taken control of seven villages in eastern and southern Ukraine that were initially occupied by the Russian forces over the last week.
Russia launched a “massive missile” attack overnight on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing and wounding people and damaging civilian infrastructure, Serhiy Lisak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said on the Telegram messaging app. “A massive missile attack on Kryvyi Rih.”
During the early hours, air raid sirens blared across the whole of Ukraine, with Kyiv’s military officials saying air defence forces destroyed all Russian missiles targeting the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine’s top military command said that air forces destroyed 10 out of 14 cruise missiles Russia launched on Ukraine and one of the four Iranian-made drones. It was not immediately clear how many missiles hit Kryvyi Rih and where the Russia-launched drones struck their targets.
In Kryvyi Rih, several civilian buildings were hit, including a five-storey building, the mayor the city, Oleksandr Vilkul, said earlier. Reuters could not independently verify the report. Vilkul did not provide any further detail. There was no immediate comment from Russia about the reported strikes. Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war which Russia launched on its neighbour nearly 16 months ago.
The mayor of the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine’s east said on his Telegram channel that Russian drones hit civilian infrastructure there, striking a warehouse and a utility firm’s building. There was no immediate information about casualties.
The attack comes a day after Ukraine began its much-awaited counter-offensive against the Russian forces and claimed to have achieved success. On Monday, Kyiv claimed that it had taken control of seven villages in eastern and southern Ukraine that were initially occupied by the Russian forces over the last week.
Ukraine further said that it made small gains near the eastern city of Bakhmut after launching a long-awaited counteroffensive with Western weapons to claw back territory. Ukraine takes 90 sq km of area from Russia, seven settlements taken over in last week. “The battles are tough, but our movement is there, and that is very important,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. He added that rainy weather is challenging his troops, and that he’s discussed with his military commanders “which points of the front we need to strengthen and what actions we can take to break more Russian positions.”
The Ukrainian defence ministry said its forces had advanced “250 to 700 metres” into the direction of the flashpoint city of Bakhmut. Earlier, Russia said that it repelled Ukrainian attacks in the same area in the Donetsk region near Velyka Novosilka. It also said it fought off Ukrainian attacks around the nearby village of Levadne in the neighbouring southern region of Zaporizhzhia.
The claims by Moscow and Kyiv could not be verified independently.
(With inputs from agencies)
